Bhapa ILish or Baked Hilsha Fish

Any day anytime anywhere if we bong get a plate of rice with Bhapa Ilish or Baked Hilsha fish we never say no to this. But you have to be lucky enough to get a tasty fish otherwise your cooking will be a waste. It’s a very easy recipe you just need few fresh fish pieces and some limited ingredients. This recipe is again from my Maa’s kitchen.

I remember during my school days we all were at home because of  rain and my uncle brought a big Hilsha fish form Kolaghat  a famous place for Hilsha fish because the place is located in the side of Ganga River. And the most important thing is the size of the fish around 5 kg. In present day this kind of a big fishes are just a dream. And taste of that fish was just out of the world. Here we usually purchase fish from a Bangladeshi shop and the maximum size of the fishes is around 2 kg. But they are quite tasty because those are form Padma River. That Bhapa ILish truly made our day.

 
Preparation time: 30 mints.
Cooking time: 20 mints.

Ingredients:

1.Hilsha Fish: 4 pieces.
2.One table spoon mustard seeds paste.
3.Half tea spoon poppy seeds paste.
4.Three to Four green chilies.
5.Half tea spoon turmeric powder.
6.Mustard oil: 3 Table spoon.
7.Half tea spoon curd.
8.Salt and sugar as per taste.
9.One tiffin box with tight lid.

Process:
Clean and wash the fish pieces.

Make a smooth mixture with all the ingredients as mentioned above except oil and green chili.

Now place the fish pieces into the tiffin box and add the mixture into it. Marinate the fish pieces with the mixture and keep it aside for 30 mints.

 

Now add the mustard oil and the split green chilies if you want you can add one chopped green chili also into the tiffin box.

 
Now cover the lid and place the coverd box into one vessel which is full of water. Now switch on the gas, the fish will cook with the steam of the boiling water. And cook in medium hit for 15 to 20 mints.

 

Serve hot with plain rice.

 

Malaver Macchi

Last few weekends we were so busy that could not get time to purchase fish from the Bangladeshi store. Finally this weekend anyhow managed to go and purchase some fish from there. If fish is not at home really it’s a difficult time for me then because every day I have to think what to cook. That was really a horrible job. Fish curry in any style we enjoy every time. Previously also I tried one Kerala fish curry which was awesome so again tried to cook a fish curry in Kerala style. And this time I made Malavar Macchi recipe courtesy my friend Sunita.

The fish curry which I cooked with coconut, curry leaves and tamarind. The taste was just too good. My husband doesn’t like the sour taste in food that much. But he just loved this one. And the cooking procedure is so easy. So any day u can try this one.

Preparation time: 10 mints.
Cooking time: 30 mints.
Serve for 2 people.

Ingredients:

1.Fish of your choice (any big fish): 4 piece.
2.One medium sliced onion.
3.One small chopped tomato.
4.Two chopped green chilies and few curry leaves.
5.One tea spoon ginger garlic paste.
6.Two table spoon grated coconut.
7.One tea spoon turmeric Powder, One tea spoon red chili powder, Few mustard seeds, Few fenugreek seeds.
8.One table spoon tamarind pulp water.
9.Salt and sugar as per taste.
10.Sunflower oil for cooking.

Process:

Marinate the fish pieces with little turmeric powder and salt.

Fry the fish pieces and keep it aside.

Now make a mixture with grated coconut, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, chili powder and tamarind pulp water.

 

 
Now add oil in a vessel and add the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds when it start splutter add sliced onion and curry leaves fry till the onions are golden brown.

 
Now add the coconut and masala mixture with some salt and sugar. Cook till the oil come out.

 
Now add little water and the fried fish pieces. Cook till the grave become thick.

Enjoy with plain rice.

Peper Sukto or Raw papaya curry with Mustard

Among all fruits I specially don’t like papaya that much, but I love Raw Papaya. My Maa used to cook lots of different kind of currys with raw papaya. Raw Papaya is very good for health also. Today is a veggie day for us, so tried my Grand Maa’s unique preparation Peper Sukto or Papaya curry with Mustard. It’s a very easy recipe all of us just loved it. You must try it once.

Sukto is one of a famous curry which is cooked with lots of different vegetable. But my Grand Maa used to make sukto with Papaya also. Sukto is a kind of starter with plain rice. My husband doesn’t like Raw Papaya but if I cook Peper Sukto he never says no to this.

Preparation time: 10 mints.
Cooking time: 15 mints.
Ingredients:
1.One small raw papaya.

2.Half tea spoon ginger paste.
3.One table spoon mustard seeds powder, Few Radhuni, One bay leave, One dry red chili.

4.Half tea spoon turmeric powder.
5.Half cup milk.
6.Salt & Sugar as per taste.
7.Mustard oil two table spoon.
8.Few drops of ghee.

Process:
Sliced the papaya finely.

Now add 1,1/2 table spoon of mustard oil in a vessel and add the bay leave, radhuni and dry red chili after 2 mints add the sliced papaya. Now add the turmeric powder and cook for some time.

Now add the ginger paste, salt and sugar and cook till the raw smell of ginger goes off.
Now add the milk and little water and cook with a lid till the papaya boiled properly. Switch off the gas.

Now in a different vessel add half table spoon of mustard oil when it became hot add the mustard seeds powder and fry till it brown.

 Now add the cooked papaya into the vessel.

And again cook for 2 mints and before switch off the gas sprinkle the ghee.

Serve hot with plain rice.

Doi ILish or Hilsha fish with Curd

As a fish lover the first choice of fish is Ilish or Hilsha. The favorite fish of almost all Bengali’s. This fish is usually available during the Rainy season. Mostly from the river of Ganga (India) and Padma (Bangladesh) this fish is coming from. This is one of the costliest fishes also during the season. Fresh fishes are always best, but here we only get frozen fish still the fish are good. So you can imagine how well the fish when it fresh.

Almost all the recipe with this fish is so easy and quick. But everything is depending on the taste of the fish. During my childhood day my father used to go to Ganger Ghat or (the river side) during the rainy season almost every day to purchase fresh fish directly from the fisher man. And the taste of those fresh fish really I can’t express. Today I prepared some “Doi Ilish” or Hilsha fish with Curd. A heavenly combination with plain rice another delicasy from my Maa's kitchen.

 
Preparation time: 10 mints.
Cooking time: 15 mints.

Ingredients:

1.Hilsha fish : 4 piece.
2.Mustard seeds :One table spoon.
3.Three to Four green chilies.
4.One table spoon curd.
5.One tea spoon turmeric powder.
6.Few Kalonji.
7.Salt & Sugar as per taste.
9.Mustard oil for cooking.

Process:
Marinate the fish with little turmeric powder and salt.

Now grind the mustard seeds with one green chili. Make a mixture with curd, turmeric powder and mustard seeds paste with little water.
Now add some oil in a vessel and fry the fish pieces lightly and keep it aside.

Now on that same vessel add some kalonji  and split green chilies after few seconds and the curd and mustard seeds paste mixture with little salt and sugar.

Cook till the oil separate. Now add little water and the fried fish pieces. Cook till the gravy become thick.

Enjoy with plain rice.

Dry Boondi with Dry Fruits

Today is a very special day for us because it’s” Diwali”. Diwali is a festival of light. Almost every Indians celebrate this day with lots of Sweets, New dresses and Fire Crackers. We decorate our house with lots of Pradeeps or Diyas . In West Bengal in this special day is more special for us because we Celebrate Kali Puja on the same day. My Grand Maa and my Maa used to prepare different kind of sweets during this time for guests. And for us Diwali means lots of Fire Crackers, Lights.
We are outside India that’s not mean that we don’t celebrate the Special day; off Couse we  celebrate Diwali here also. Having party tonight and I prepared some “Dry Fruits Boondi “. First time only I prepared this so little nervous while making this. But finally it came out awesome. I don’t know I am able to take this for party or not because my husband going to finish it off.

 

Preparation time: 10 mints.
Cooking Time: 20 mints.
Ingredients:

1.Besan or Gram Flower: 200 gm.
2.Ghee Two table spoon.
3.Sugar : 200 gm.
4.Few saffron stands.
5.Pinch of cardamom powder.
6.Two tea spoon Char Magaj.
7.Few Cashew nuts, Few Raisins, Few Pistachios.
8.Few Charmagaj.
 

9.Green and Red color.
10.Sunflower oil for frying.
11.One Tea strainer.
Process:
Add 2 cup of water in a vessel and add the sugar, cardamom powder and saffron stands. And
prepare little thick syrup.

 
Now make a batter with Besan or Gram Flower, Ghee and some water. The batter should be not thick and not so light.

 
Now add oil in a kadai (oil should be more) and through the help of tea strainer pour the besan into the karai and fry the boondis till they little yellowish.

 

For color boondi just add green color into that besan batter and fry them.

Same way add the red color into the batter and fry the same way.

 
Now pour the fried boondis into the thick sugar syrup and add all the dry fruits.

 

Your Dry Fruits boondis is ready. Enjoy your Diwali with my Boondi.

 

Chicken Vindaloo

Almost 4 years back I had one chicken recipe in one of my cousin sister’s place during bhai Phota or Bhai Dooj after that I never had that and never prepared also at home. Yesterday my sister called me and she told that she is going to make that chicken recipe for this year Bhai Phota again. Then only I asked my sister the recipe and made it for our today’s dinner. The dish is called Chicken Vindaloo. I never forget that day because almost we all cousin brothers and sisters having so much of lunch that we were not able to stand after that. O my god what a day. Few memories are always very close to our heart and cousins are the best childhood friends for all of us.

The specialty of this dish is chicken prepared with potato. As a bong chicken with potato is the best combo for us. The cooking procedure is quite easy. We enjoyed our last night dinner with this
Chicken Vindaloo.

 
Preparation Time: 20 mints.
Cooking time: 30 mints.
Serve for : 2 people.

Ingredients:
1.Chicken: 500 gm (cut and washed).
2.One large sliced onion.
3.One table spoon Ginger & Garlic paste.
4.One medium size potato (cut into small cube size).
5.Fenugreek seeds, Cumin seeds, Mustard seeds (half tea spoon of each item), Clove: 4 to 5 piece.
6.Two table spoon tomato puree.
7.One tea spoon turmeric powder, One tea spoon red chili powder.
8.One tea spoon tamarind water.
9.Salt & Sugar as per taste.
10.Butter one table spoon, sunflower oil for cooking.

Process:

Marinate the chicken pieces with little turmeric powder and salt.

Fry the potato pieces and keep it aside.

Now dry roast all the no 5 items as mentioned above and grind them. Your vindaloo masala is ready.

Now add the butter in a vessel and fry the chicken piece till the chicken pieces turn into little brownish color. And keep it aside.

Now add some oil in the same vessel and add the sliced onions, fry till the onions are golden brown.
Now add the ginger garlic paste and the tomato puree along with turmeric powder and red chili powder. Cook for some time now adds all the vindaloo masala with some salt and sugar. Also add the fried potato pieces. Mix well with everything.

 
After few mints add the fried chicken pieces and tamarind water, cover with a lid. Cook till the chicken pieces are tender. 

Serve hot with any rice preparation or Roti. Keep coming for more.